Which of these do you think is worse and try to explain why . . .?

Question

Lying to someone

Or

Not telling the whole truth

For those of you who want to answer this question from a philosophical point of view do not read on, go ahead and answer. [I would prefer this]

For those of you who like to give relationship advice read on to see the scenario.

Here's a hypothetical scenario:

Say you loved someone who holds unrequited love for someone else which would be worse; to tell them outright that you don't love them [lying] as you don't want to make their head spin more than it already is, or to never tell them and never find out if they would say it back [not telling the whole truth] and just remaining close friends

Answer 1

life is about risks lol.

i would say ...confess. but if you are realllly not able to then wait say a few weeks building up courage but if a month goes by then JUST DO IT.

if the answer is no you aint going to die even though it may feel like that for about a week or 2... and if the answer is yes you may die happy =D

you are never going to get anywhere unless you just do it.

dont think about it... do it.

hope everything goes well.

and remember to smile =D

as for whats worse... id say neither. in this scenario i would would remain close friends so the second one... but its different from person to person.

smile =D ill keep my fingers crossed

Answer 2

Personally, I believe lying about anything is always wrong. If there is some reason someone will have trouble learning or knowing of something that we know, it is probably better to say nothing. They will find out for themselves.

If you are lying to hide something involving yourself, there can be no ethics in such an action.

Not telling the whole truth however may have nuance. It may be a deceptive practice in one instance... for instance if I am selling a product with a serious design flaw... leaving out any clue to that is massively dishonest.

However, in another circumstance, not telling all of some matter to someone may have a very practical reason. All of the details may not be of any value to that person. May in fact dis-serve them.

I think that not telling the whole truth can be a tactic that serves both the ethical and the unethical.

Whereas lying, as I say, is just plain wrong.

Answer 3

There is no actual difference. The moral aspect lies in the effect you knew that either would have on the person to whom you were telling the mis, or partial truth. You must be morally willing to defend your intent. The attempt to do good is moral, no matter what the language, the intent to do down is immoral no matter what the language.

In your particular scenarios, both your actions would be moral as your intent is to do good.

There is however a more a kantain approach that says that one should always do as if ones action were a universal moral law, therefore how would you feel if everyone acted like you. Not be too tragic either way , i expect.

I personally do have concerns that you are not treating this person as a human with rights to know the full situation surronding them.

Would you want them to tell you? probably, you are a big boy and would expect to deal with it.

You diminish this other person by not being truthful. if this were a universal activity it would be plainly wrong.

.

Answer 4

I don't think it's a question of one being better or worse than the other. It ultimately boils down to what is appropriate in a given situation. Let me give you an example of each from my own life.

First, a few years ago, there was an enquiry bat the office about a certain colleague who was habitually, and quite literally, sleeping on the job. When I was approached on this point, I made a categorical statement that I had never seen him dozing, although others may have. This was a bare-faced lie to save my colleague his job in days when management appeared to have a surplus of pink slips.

Second, about 10 years ago my mother was paralysed on the left side. I was helping her do her prescribed physiotherapy exercises, when one day she asked me point blank: Tell me honest, do I have paralysis? In order not to upset her too much, I simply told her the doctor called it "a mild, passing stroke". She accepted this well as it gave her a hope of recovery. She did recover sufficiently, though not completely. This is an example of not telling the whole truth.

So, you see, it depends upon what is the proper thing to say under a given circumstance.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

the saying goes - a half truth is worse than a lie [because being partly true it more likely to be believed]. We say we tell white lies to save the other person's feelings, but really we are protecting ourselves either from the consequences directly or just because we don't want to see the other person's suffering. Generally speaking - painful as it may be - it is wiser to 'tell the truth and shame the Devil' as my Grandmother used to say. Lies have a habit of catching up with you and biting you on the bottom!

as to your little scenario - either way - a relationship based on a lie - or a half lie - is not on true and sound foundations. So what's it worth in the long run?

Answer 6

There are three sins of the record, lying, omission and denial. If we have duty toward the record hen this elevates omission. The lie creates information which is not from the record. The omission does not create information. But if we have contrived by art to cause false interpretation of the record then this technical aspect does not make any difference. The record is corrupted either way. Without context they are both equal because the end is the same for either.

Answer 7

The truth is always the Best way to go. Perhaps this person is holding on to the past so hard because they see no future right now. Tell this person how you feel, you have nothing to lose. Let them know there is love after love. To lie is cowardice and has no place in dealing with love. You need to face this head on, let it go as it will. You will either be pleasantly surprised, or disappointed, and can move on.

Answer 8

i think it would depend on the situation, in the first choice you gave, there are no hard rules to always follow, sometimes a lie can be best, and sometimes just omitting the truth or the whole truth is best, keep in mind that often the truth is your opinion, dont go out of your way to bring up subjects you feel you dont want to be honest about, and if asked something , you dont have to disclose all of your feelings/thoughts/opinions, you are not obligated to tell "the whole truth"

in the specific situation you mentioned, you tell the person, if you wish to, that you love them, there really isnt a reason to mention it otherwise, unless they ask. if they do, then i would be honest

you want to be as honest as you can about serious issues, at the same time not hurting peoples feelings, i dont really see how telling someone you love them would hurt them,

Answer 9

That's a hard one. Do you want to be selfish (and tell her so that you don't spend the rest of your life wondering what would have happened if only you'd told her) or, not be selfish (and lie to her so you don't send her head into a spin?)

To be honest, I would probably do the selfish thing. If she doesn't feel the same way, all she has to do is say that. You can still be friends... But what if she really has feelings for you, but is too shy to tell you? If you knew that would you regret not telling her?

The way i see it is that here on earth, we have one life to live, so we should make the most of it, and we should live in a way so as not to hurt ourselves. If not telling her your true feelings is breaking your heart, you should tell her.

Answer 10

Being of a philosophical bent, I believe that telling a deliberate lie in order to impress or take advantage is wrong. However, "shading the truth" to spare someones feelings is admissible. My opinion has been the same since I was a child. Some of my strict Catholic upbringing must have stuck with me, because in that day no one spoke of situational ethics.